Referee Tools vs SidelineCount
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Referee Tools
This app provides essential tools for referees, including a timer, whistle sounds, and penalty card displays. It supports various sports like soccer and rugby, with customizable options for countdowns, count-ups, and card colors.
- Adjustable timer (countdown/count up)
- Multiple whistle sounds
- Full-screen penalty card display
- Customizable card colors
- Sound alerts for countdown timer
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Simple and easy-to-use referee tool app. It can be used when refereeing soccer, rugby, handball, etc. ● Basic functions 1. Timer function Tap the time to start the timer. If you want to stop it, tap it again. The timer can be set to “countdown” or “count up”. When "countdown" is selected, a sound can be played when the timer reaches zero. 2. Whistle Press the "Short", "Long", or “Twice” button to sound the whistle. If the whistle icon is held down, the whistle sound will play the entire time (up to approximately 30 seconds). 3. Penalty cards Tap a card to display it in full screen. In the initial display, "yellow card" and "red card" are shown, but other color cards can be displayed in the settings.
SidelineCount
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Every player counts. SidelineCount is for youth football coaches, team parents and league volunteers who are responsible for getting every kid their required plays — and for proving it afterwards. Tap SNAP once per play and every player you marked on the field is credited instantly, so you can see who is still short while you can still do something about it. TAP ONCE PER PLAY Mark who is on the field, tap the big green SNAP button, and every one of them gets a play. Nothing to write down, nothing to count up at the end of the game. A SCOREBOARD ON THE SIDELINE The live screen carries a lit scoreboard: plays run, players still short, players on the field. Jersey numbers read like a stadium board, so the whole roster scans at a glance between plays. SEE WHO STILL NEEDS PLAYS A live Needs Plays list shows every player who has not reached your league's minimum yet, and exactly how many more they need. Select them straight from that list to put them on the field for the next snap. FIX MISTAKES IN ONE TAP Tapped on a play that got blown dead or called back? Undo Last Snap names the exact play it will remove and lets you attach a reason. Nothing is ever silently deleted — recalled plays stay in the record, marked as recalled. BUILD YOUR ROSTER HOWEVER YOU LIKE Type players in, scan a printed roster with the camera, import a screenshot, paste a list, or pull one from your league's website. Every import is shown to you for review before anything is saved. REUSABLE LINEUPS Save the groups you actually use — Offense A, Kickoff, Punt Return — and apply one with a single tap instead of re-selecting the same players every series. PAIRED GAME MODE Many leagues have each team send a rep to verify the other team's play count. SidelineCount does it digitally: connect directly to the opposing team's phone over Wi-Fi, with no internet required, and each side keeps its own independent count of both rosters, with an alert if the two ever disagree. A RECORD YOU CAN HAND OVER Export a PDF or CSV showing each player's total plays, the exact play numbers they were in, and the game's total play count. It is a traceable record for your own files or for a league official who wants the detail. ON IPHONE AND IPAD The same app on both. On an iPad in landscape, a column on the right holds the scoreboard, the players still short, Package, Undo and a tall SNAP under your thumb. BUILT FOR THE SIDELINE Big touch targets, one-handed operation, high contrast for bright sunlight, and no color-only status. Mark a player absent or injured with a reason before kickoff and they stay out of the count. YOUR DATA STAYS ON YOUR PHONE Your teams, rosters and games stay on your device. No account, no sign-in, no third-party analytics. The only thing that goes online is the suggestion box, and only what you choose to post or vote on. WHAT IT DOES NOT DO SidelineCount counts the plays you tap. It does not watch the field, and it does not decide which plays qualify under your league's rule — most leagues count only plays from the line of scrimmage, so kickoffs and extra points are yours to skip. You stay in charge of what gets counted. FREE TO START Your first 3 games are free with every feature included, Paired Game Mode as well. Pro removes the game limit for $9.99 a year. Paired Game Mode is a separate $5.99 a year. HELP AND IDEAS Help answers how to do every main job, a short tour shows you around the first time, and a suggestion box lets you post and vote on what gets built next. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: SidelineCount at none against Referee Tools's shown. SidelineCount also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 months). Referee Tools's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Referee Tools sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and SidelineCount sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Referee Tools ships an update every 6 months, SidelineCount every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 7, 2026.
| Parameter | Referee Tools | SidelineCount |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NAOYA ONO | Steve Binegar |
In-app purchases
Referee Tools
- Support Developer$0.99
- Remove ads$2.99
SidelineCount
- Team Pro$5.991 Year
- SidelineCount Pro$9.991 Year
Questions
Is Referee Tools free?
Is SidelineCount free?
Do Referee Tools or SidelineCount have ads?
Which is updated more often, Referee Tools or SidelineCount?
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